1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to communications, and more specifically to a system, method and computer program product for diagnostics supervision of Internet connections, such as VoIP calls.
2. Related Art
The uses of the public Internet are very diverse. A use that has recently gained much attention is Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which involves using the public Internet or a private IP network to carry voice calls, either partially or completely bypassing the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
VoIP, as well as video conferencing, has been used by computer hobbyists to place no-charge (and typically low-quality) calls over the Internet, using microphones, video cameras, and speakers connected to a personal computer (PC) audio card supported by audio/video software. Commercial applications of VoIP technology are now emerging. Various types of services can be provided using VoIP, including enterprise toll bypass, IP-based IntereXchange Carrier (IXC; long distance) service, and IP-based local telephony.
A drawback of existing implementations is the use of the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) to provided bandwidth not available using TCP. UDP is the connectionless transport protocol in the TCP/IP protocol layers. UDP does not provided for error detection/correction or any other quality of service (QoS) within the existing protocol. Thus, the quality and connection of calls is uncertain.
What is needed is a technique to better control Internet connections, such as VoIP calls, by providing real-time information about the quality of inbound and outbound voice, modem, facsimile, video streams, and the like.
The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer program product for managing diagnostic and performance information for communications system terminal endpoints (TEs) communicating over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The TEs communicate by connections that are voice, modem, facsimile, video or data transmissions.
A Diagnostic Supervisor (DS), which is capable of being coupled to the communications system, transmits Diagnostic Configuration Messages (DCMs) to the TEs. The TE""s generate Diagnostic Messages (DMs) based on diagnostic information, including error statistics, voice statistics, facsimile statistics, video statistics, data statistics, or the like, concerning IP network connections in which the TEs participate. The DCMs instructs the TEs how to format and when to transmit DMs. The flexibility afforded by the DCMs allows large amounts of customized diagnostic information to be delivered in a non-intrusive manner by limiting the transmission of diagnostic information only when required. The DMs are transmitted by the TEs to the DS. In a system with more that one DS, the TEs can transmit DMs to the plural DSs, other TEs or any network device.
The DS can be programmed locally or remotely to send various types of DCMs. The DS can also be programmed locally or remotely to provide diagnostic reports based on DMs that were delivered to network users or to the network administrator, for example.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the system can reroute an IP network connection between two or more TEs to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) based on the diagnostic information. Rerouting can be initiated by the DS, a TE, or by a TE with DS capabilities. Alternatively, rerouting can be initiated by a TE user, the network administrator or a communications system attendant.
In another embodiment of the present invention, DCMs can be configured to instruct TEs to transmit DMs including silent packet diagnostic information. The silent packet diagnostic information can be used to provide the system with disconnect supervision of IP connections by determining the average number of silent packets detected over a period of time, or by a total count of silent packets.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, DCMs can be configured to instruct TEs to transmit DMs including non-silent packet diagnostic information. The non-silent packet diagnostic information can be used to provide the system with answer detection supervision of IP connections by determining the average number of non-silent packets detected over a period of time, or by a total count of non-silent packets.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the diagnostic information comprises a plurality of parameters defined by the DCMs and the DMs. A DS or TE can be programmed to determine an average number of occurrences of one of the plurality of parameters or a total number of occurrences of one of the plurality of parameters.
One embodiment of the present invention provides for attendant supervision of the communications system. In this embodiment a human attendant provides real-time response to the diagnostic information. Alternatively, billing management can be performed for the communications system using diagnostic information. For example, billing of an IP network connection, or a connection rerouted to the PSTN, is performed based on the diagnostic information provided by DMs.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the DS comprises a Configuration Manager, a Report Manager, a Real-Time Response Manager, and an Input/Output (I/O) Manager coupled to the IP network and the PSTN. The DS can also include a communications system so that it can function as a TE.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.